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Thread: Old WW I postcards detected

  1. #1

    Default Old WW I postcards detected

    I spend the week before Easter with my family at my parents home.

    While searching a screwdriver in the basement, I detected some old WW I postcards in a cigar box in a shelf.

    Here is the first one. A picture postcard from a German fortification near Metz:



    The inscription: PANZERWERK HAESELER - BEI STRENGER PFLICHT - GETREU UND SCHLICHT

    The fortification near Metz today:

    Last edited by Marechallannes; 04-12-2013 at 12:32. Reason: bad spelling

  2. #2

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    I love to see these then and now photos.
    A friend of mine has got a book with a lot of AWI pictures in it like that, and somee are just like your pic with hardly ant change whilst others are unrecognisable.
    I find the flow of time and its effect on the landscape facinating.
    Thanks for posting this Sven.
    Rob.

  3. #3

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    Fascinating - thanks for sharing these photos Sven

  4. #4

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    Incredible set of photos, Sven. As Rob, I too love to compare old and nowadays photos of sites. Thanks for sharing them
    Funny, I also found some amazing photos of my Grandpa during Easter (in fact, my mother found them) - will post them soon.

  5. #5

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    A piece of history! Really nice postcard and pic of the fortification. I hope you'll publish the other postacards ASAP.



    Attilio

  6. #6

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    Thank you Sven. It is interesting to see then-and-now photos. Great find.

    I hope you look for more tools.

  7. #7

  8. #8

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    Sven,
    I lived in Metz when I was much younger. I even, vaguely, remember some of the fortifications in the woods near where I lived. I don't remember this specific thing, but I was pretty young.

    Thanks for posting, and a stroll down memory lane.

    Mike

  9. #9

    Thumbs up

    Great postcard Sven!
    I love the relaxed but posed Soldiers the foreground.

  10. #10

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    I don't know which unit it was. But my fathers grandpa served there.

    I wonder why all pictures are on postcards, but it was usual for this time, I think. (How did other nations handle it?)

    Here is the unit fortifing a wall:


  11. #11

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    Here is the unit posing in a stone pit/quarry.

    The sing in the middle has the word STEINBRUCH (stone pit/quarry) on it. Can't identify the first word, but I think it's the name of the Steinbruch.



    There is a year number on a plate above the sign. Still unreadable too, but I'm shure it's 1916 because of the text on the backside:



    Written on 14. October 1916

    Dear M. I want you to know, that I'm still ok. I hope the same for you.

    …. (unreadable because of the handwriting)
    Greeting you and soon to meet you again – Peter*
    …. (unreadable because of the handwriting)

    The adress is my old home village Fischbach im Taunus near Wiesbaden.

    My mother & grandmother helped to translate it. I hope I can deliver the rest of the text, soon.

    *Peter Buff was my great-grandfather

  12. #12

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    Here is another postcard from a comrade od my great-grandfather. His name is Franz.

    The picture postcard is from 1918:



    The text on the backside is easy to read:



    May 1918
    My dear friend
    dedicated for memory
    from his loyal friend
    Franz
    Last edited by Marechallannes; 04-12-2013 at 22:05.

  13. #13

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    A window on the past - thanks Sven.

  14. #14

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    An excellent set of photo postcards. Thanks for sharing.

    I have/had some from my granddad's time in the Royal Marine Light Infantry during WW1. They too are all on postcards. I guess it was the easiest to do for a number of prints, say each member of the unit for example.

    As others have said, a marvellous window on the past.

  15. #15

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    These are really great. Thanks for posting Sven

  16. #16

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    Thank you for posting these interesting pictures. It may be possible to find some means of enhancing the pictures if you search around.

  17. #17

  18. #18

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    A great collection, Sven! Thx for sharing

    Attilio

  19. #19

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    Thanks for sharing more of these Sven. Very happy for you that you found such pieces of history.

  20. #20

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    I would like to add my thanks to you for allowing us to see these historic pictures Sven.
    It does seem fairly standard for postcards to be the norm for this type of picture. I would imagine that was because the photographer had this medium to hand, as he would often do snaps at seaside resorts on postcards to send home to loved ones,so it follows that they would do just the same from the Front.
    Rob.

  21. #21

  22. #22

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    Thank you Sven for sharing these! It's so great to connect with the period through relics like this.

  23. #23

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    These three postcards were sent together to my great-grandfather Peter Buff from his comrade:



    Backside:



    It's the name of my great-grandfather and the adress of my home village, (no house number on it). I think he wrote this by himself and someone helped him with the writing on the following two postcards.



    Backside:



    Easter Sunday 1917 (April 8th)

    Dear comrad Buff, yesterday I received your Postcard from 04.04., I'm glad about it and thank you very much.
    I hope you'll come back to me. Following your wish I send you these 2 (?) postcards. I hope you'll receive them.
    You can imagine how it is here at the moment. This was my cannon.
    How you wrote, Klein will arrive recovered soon...



    Back-side:



    ...that went fast with him (the recovery). I couldn't believe that.
    How did you spent the Easter days? We worked the two days. That wasn't that comfortable. I hope this whole deception ends soon.
    I'm still fine at the moment and I hope the same for you. I wish you in addition a good recovery.
    Greeting you cordially your loyal comrade Aloys Unger.
    Please salute to Anton Klein, too. Many greetings from all the others, too.
    Goodbye comrade.
    Last edited by Marechallannes; 04-13-2013 at 03:08. Reason: bad spelling

  24. #24

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    Even more great primary source photos Sven.
    Thanks again for the insight into your family history.
    Rob.

  25. #25

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    Other postcards, I detected, maybe comrades of my great-grandfather.

    No information about unit, date, etc. I thing great-grandfather Peter Buff is the one lying in front of the picture on the left side.



    Unknown soldier:



    Unknown soldier:



    This picture is from 25th. February 1918. (The shoes look very military).

    I think this is my great-grandfather Peter Buff.

    Last edited by Marechallannes; 04-16-2013 at 12:43.

  26. #26

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    It's not a collection... you can open a museum!

    Attilio

  27. #27

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    Yes I think my great grand-father is the one on the last photo 25.02.1918 and on the photo with the unit & horse, the soldier that lies to the left.

    The war has changed his face a little bit.

    This is his son, Heinrich Buff. Looks very related to him. Heinrich or "Heini" was the brother of my grandmother Christine. (Missed in action in WW II at the Eastern Front).




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